Wenonah's basketball team $6,000 shy of funds needed for its December California tournament trip

Wenonah's Justin Coleman , Isaiah Maston, Cedrick Mcginnis and Artis Cleveland celebrate their 75-60 win over Center Point in the AHSAA Final 48 Class 5A championship high school basketball game at the BJCC in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, March. 1, 2013. The Dragons are seeking donations to help cover the costs of attending the Maxpreps.com Holiday Classic in Palm Springs, California next month. (Hal Yeager/preps@al.com)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- How much is a state championship basketball team worth to its community? Hmm.

A lot, right?

But how much is a high school basketball team worth which has won an unprecedented three consecutive state basketball championships in one of the state’s two largest boys classifications?

A lot, right? Would that be at least $18,000?

That’s what Wenonah coach Cedric Lane hopes so when it comes to his three-time defending Class 5A champions.

The boys were invited to participate in the 11th annual Maxpreps.com Holiday Classic in California. The event is set for December 26-30 in Palm Springs and is set to be one of the elite holiday events over the next two months.

It just comes with a hefty transportation price tag. The Dragons will have lodging upon their arrival, but they’ve got to get there first. They also need a rental van to serve as ground transportation.

According to Lane, the Dragons reached out to their school community and used the gate receipts from a marquee game against Class 6A Carver-Montgomery to generate about $8,000 toward that trip.

The City of Birmingham pitched in and showed how thankful they were for their Dragons on Monday. That's after the boys petitioned the City of Birmingham for support in their trip.

According to a press release, city council members Jay Roberson and Sheila Tyson asked the team to share their plight at a Monday morning council meeting. Roberson was one of several to show their own personal support.

“That was good,” Lane said. “That was big. It showed the support that the city has for the boys that those city leaders would take the initiative to step forward to be the first ones to help these guys be able to play in a national tournament like this.”

Roberson pledged $2,500. Tyson was right in line with a $1,500 sponsorship. U.S Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell offered up another $1,000. The release stated that council members Valerie Abbott and Steven Hoyt also intended to also make donations.

Lane estimated on Monday afternoon that the team was still approximately $6,000 shy of its goal needed to fully fund the trip.

That release stated that Jarvis Patton, Chief Operations Officer for the City of Birmingham, said at the event that after the final efforts were complete the Mayor’s office would explore covering any remaining costs.

The Maxpreps.com event is a tournament reserved for some of the nation’s Top 25 teams. The Dragons finished last year rated No. 17 in the final Maxpreps rankings.

Those interested in helping the Dragons reach their goal are asked to contact coach Cedric Lane at Wenonah High School.

The Dragons were able to raise the initial $8,000 through support from the Birmingham Board of Education and from the gate receipts from their game last week against Carver-Montgomery at Samford University.

Wenonah is a strong contender for a "fourpeat" this year led by Alabama signee Justin Coleman and another future college player in senior guard Cedric McGinnis.